Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I Am the Messenger, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Circumstance vs. Choice
Heroism, Sainthood, and Ordinariness
Purpose, Success, and Meaning
Hope, Caring, and Beauty
Summary
Analysis
Ed and Audrey watch the movie screen as it shows an image of young men walking down the street toward another person. Ed realizes that the young men are Gavin and Daniel, and they are walking toward him. He watches as the movie replays the boys beating him up. Then the movie shows Ed leaving the library, then shows him with the Christmas lights, and then shows him arguing with his mom. Finally, the movie shows Ed walking into the movie theater. Then words flash across the screen, telling Ed he needs to move on.
Ed’s life portrayed as a movie not only reveals that he has been watched, but also suggests that his life is being organized into a narrative arc. This is one of the moments that most clearly suggests that the person controlling Ed occupies a role similar to the author’s. At the same time, the words telling Ed to move on suggest that one cannot dwell on past good deeds, but instead must continue to help people.
Themes
Audrey helps Ed back to his seat because he can’t walk. Bernie begins playing Cool Hand Luke again, but Ed can only think about the words “They do it because they can.” He knows this is the final challenge he must overcome for the Ace of Spades. He feels as if someone is moving around him, but he can’t see anyone in the dark theater. On his seat now is the Ace of Hearts. Ed sits down, holding the card but not looking at it. A heartbeat seems to radiate from the card in his hand.
Ed’s inability to move suggests that it’s still hard for him to accept that the person with the cards is controlling his life to this extent; it’s as if he struggles to take any action because he knows that his decisions only have so much power. The suit of hearts, which represent love and emotion, implies that this final set of missions will be especially personal for Ed.
Themes
